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Mental Health  (Expert Forum)
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My Wife (Panic Disorder) Needs Help
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD), bipolar disorder, dementia, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, personality disorders, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, stress, transitions, and work problems.
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MedHelp Member's Question

My Wife (Panic Disorder) Needs Help

by IloveLinda, Dec 20, 2004 12:00AM
My wife of 27 years is experiencing Panic Disorder and refuses to take the medication that doctor's, therapists, children (4) and husband all want her to take.



Her Panic Attacks are more frequent as now she refuses to attend family and neighborhood holiday functions.



Any help would be appreciated.
Doctor's Answer

by Roger Gould, M.D., Dec 20, 2004 12:00AM
If she won't take medication, ask her if she will go to counseling to try to understand and resolve her underlying anxiety.
Member Comments (11)

by Diz, Dec 20, 2004 12:00AM
Hi ~ what sets off your wife's panic disorder?  With me it was the fear of not getting to sleep at night.  Tell your wife there are many herbal remedies in the health food stores.  She should find a good one with a good herbalist she can work with.  That can be more of a natural approach and maybe your wife will feel

better about it.  Good luck.

by HAMMERHEAD, Dec 20, 2004 12:00AM
To: ILOVELINDA
Stick by her!!! I've had anxiety/panic going on 6 years. THANK GOD I have the best wife in the world. She has stuck by me and help where she can but, it's hard for someone who doesn't have it to understand what we go through. I take xanax and go to counseling. I tried all the anti-anxiety meds most of them made it worse or ran my blood pressure up. But do the best you can to understand and stand by her side. I'm 42yrs old and the last 6 years have been terriable.I would not have made it with out the help of my great wife. I have 2 most of the time good kids too. I's really hard for them to understand. But I hope they never have to find out 1st hand how it feels.

by IloveLinda, Dec 20, 2004 12:00AM
Thank You all....She has been seeing her counselor who also has told her to take the medication.



She continues to refuse to take medication and also to understand that this is a medical issue.



She thinks neighbors, family and work colleagues all have conspired to hurt her.



This has been a three year issue...



Recently she is having more panic attacks and has gone to the local police (twice), thinks there is a camera in our bedroom and refused to go for a walk because she thougth we would be hurt/harmed.



I am extremely worried and not sure what to do.

by IloveLinda, Dec 20, 2004 12:00AM
Hammerhead,



Thanks for your comments.



Glad to hear that your wife has been very supportive.



My wife first brought this up three years ago (two weeks prior to her surprise 50th).



Since then she has seen numerous, psychiatrists, counselors and refuses to take medication they prescribe, but more she refuses to admit this is a medical/mental imbalance. She thinks that all in her/our life (family-neighbors-fell workers) are all conspiring against her.



Whenever the topic "medication" comes up she gets, very, very angry.



The last four weeks she has had 2-3 panic attacks (that I know of) and it appears that she is getting wrose.



I love her and I am very, very concerned that she is very, very trapped.



Jack







by goldiealg, Dec 20, 2004 12:00AM
I think this may be more than anxiety.  She is exhibiting paranoid behavior.  Have you shared this with the counselor?  Will your wife see a psychiatrist?

by HAMMERHEAD, Dec 20, 2004 12:00AM
To: ILOVELINDA
I have panic attacks daily.I'm at he end (I hope)now. Mine have gotten worse and more often in the last month or so. Mine come with chest pain,stomach pain,my vision get distorted. But I've had all kinda of heart test and stomach test and the doctors say nothing is wrong there. Alot of mine is health anxiety.Maybe try telling her you will go to counseling with her. Good luck.

by mackenzie m, Dec 22, 2004 12:00AM
I suffered from panic attacks for two years; seems as though my thyroid was so hyperactive, that my system was flooded with chemicals.  Since my RAI (radio active iodine treatment) these panic attacks have subsided.  Not quite sure how to say this... but I also, unfortunately, have some experience with friends who have been addicted to meth. It was the "cameras in the bedroom" comment you made. I have heard this exact statement from two different people. I have also heard the camera in the electrical outlet so people can spy on me.  This is more leaning towards paranoia associated with other issues, and may be an underlying problem. I wish you the best of luck with this. It needs to be confronted. Hard to deal with things, unless you know what you're dealing with.

by IloveLinda, Dec 23, 2004 12:00AM
Thx All,



I have been to my wife's counselor.



It has been very hard, but I am not going to give up on helping her.



The Christmas holidays should be interesting and I hope she makes it through a family function.



Merry Christmas to all.



by livelysue, Jan 04, 2005 12:00AM
Your wife should see a physcologist or a phsychiatrist not just a counselor.  I suffer from PTSD.  Anxiety/Panic attacks, to other they believed I was paranoid.  At first I was told I was having the attacks because of the car accident and they would go away.  Thank goodness my doctor finally retired ro I would never have gotten the help I needed.



I was to the point I did not want to leave my house either.  I would rather stay in all day and would panic anytime I went anywheres.  Especially work, in which ended up being no longer employed by.



I saw both a neruologist and a physcologist who both diagnosed PTSD as the cause.



You need to find out what the underlying cause of the panic attacks before they get worse.  I took my medication like clockwork but did not get better.  I was on Paxil and actually was getting worse.  It worked for awhile and then the side effects kicked in.  Once I found out the underlying cause of the attacks and worked on that area the attacks for the most part disappeard.



Not every drug is for everyone.  I am on effexor now - 75 which is a low dosage and have been doing a lot better.  I had been on the max amount of Paxil, was worse and could not get pregnant.  Within a month of changing to effexor I was able to get pregnant.



Talk to your wifes doctor and let him/her know that she is not taking her medication and that the symptoms are worse and see if he/she can give you some ideas on how to help or what can be done.

by IloveLinda, Jan 04, 2005 12:00AM
Thx very much for your comments and glad all is working out for you.



My wife has seen all possible and I do think you are right that she must try to find out what the underlying cause of her panic attacks are/is.



Best of Luck to you and your family and any more advice would be appreciated.



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